How do you identify a short story theme?

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Quick Answer

There are several methods to identify the theme of a short story, including reading the title and noticing repeating patterns and symbols throughout the story. The theme of a story never completely explains the meaning of it; instead, it just points to the most important idea or the controlling belief.

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According to Yale University, the main theme of a short story often evolves through a conflict experienced by the main character. The theme, plot and structure all go hand in hand, so it helps if the reader can locate all the main parts and ask and answer questions about the details and particulars in the story.

Related Questions

The theme of "The Monkey's Paw," a short story by W.W. Jacobs, is the danger of wish fulfillment and interfering with fate. In this supernatural tale first published in 1902, a family tampers with fate and pays an enormous price.

The short story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" by Ed McBain tells the story of Andy, who bleeds to death after being stabbed. Andy is a 16-year-old boy who belongs to a gang called the Royals. He is stabbed under the ribs by a member of a rival gang.

T.C. Boyle's short story "The Greasy Lake" can be summarized as the story of three young men who have a fantasy about being "bad" boys, only to have things go horribly wrong. All of them are 19 years old, and one night they head up to Greasy Lake to have a thrill at the end of the evening before going home, and they encounter a "bad greasy character."

A fable is a short story with a moral that has animals as the main characters. A parable is a short moral story without animals as characters. Fables and morals have been around for centuries, but modern moral stories, such as "Fables of Our Time" by James Thurber, also exist.